[SOLVED] I can’t find out if my fans are 2pin, 3pin or 4pin

[hippidihop]

Hello. I have 4 case fans and 1 CPU fan. My Cpu fan has a 3 pin connection I can control it’s speed through BIOS but system fan slot on my motherboard is running idle. Other 4 fans directly connected to the PSU and because of that I can’t control their speed. I need to find out if I can somehow connect them to the motherboard with a fan hub or I need new fans. Thank you.

Here are the pictures of my fans’ connections and the fan hub connected to the psu.
https://ibb.co/V2gW4NH

5-FC9-F759-BD8-E-4993-AF78-78-B7-A5-F07-F26

Image 5-FC9-F759-BD8-E-4993-AF78-78-B7-A5-F07-F26 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/b3T6wf4

7-DF7-F165-BDFE-43-BE-BAA5-BA0121-B3-F4-FD

Image 7-DF7-F165-BDFE-43-BE-BAA5-BA0121-B3-F4-FD hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/W6xR3Qf

 

[rgd1101]

unplug one of the fan from the hub

 

[geofelt]

Looks like your case fans have molex connectors.
You can buy molex to 3 pin adapters that can be plugged into the sysfan header on your motherboard.

A splitter will allow you to control 2 fans, possibly more. There is a limit on the amps available for splitting.

 

[Paperdoc]

An Adapter like this

https://www.amazon.com/3pin-power-4...fix=remale+fan+adapter+to+molex,aps,68&sr=8-3

can be used to convert the 4-pin Molex connector of ONE fan to a 3-pin female standard fan connector that can plug into a mobo fan header. Then the header MUST be set to use the older Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode) and NOT the new PWM Mode. That way it will send to its fan a varying VOLTAGE supply suitable to control its speed. Those fans do NOT have a third wire to send a speed signal back to the host header, so you will never "see" their speeds.

You can connect more than one fan to a header and control the group subject to a limit. The header normally can supply up to 1.0 A max current to all the fans connected to that one header. So you need to find the specs for those fans you have for their max current rating - MAYBE on a label on each fan. That will establish how many of these fans (2? 3?) you can connect to ONE header. If you have more SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN headers to use, same limit applies to each.

The usual device used to connect two or more fans to a single mobo header is a SPLITTER. But it happens the Molex connectors on your fan stack. So you can connect several fans together by stacking their Molex connectors and without buying any Splitter. Then use one of those adapters above to connect a small stack of Molex's to one header. When you do this, you do NOT make any connection of these to the Molex power output from your PSU that is in use now to power the fans.

 

[hippidihop]

Looks like your case fans have molex connectors.
You can buy molex to 3 pin adapters that can be plugged into the sysfan header on your motherboard.

A splitter will allow you to control 2 fans, possibly more. There is a limit on the amps available for splitting.

Looks like your case fans have molex connectors.
You can buy molex to 3 pin adapters that can be plugged into the sysfan header on your motherboard.

A splitter will allow you to control 2 fans, possibly more. There is a limit on the amps available for splitting.

Thank you very much. If I buy 4 molex to 3pin adapters then run them through a fan hub that is connected both to the psu and the sysfan header can i control their speed like i control cpu fan’s? If not can you give me an advice on how to do that?

 

[hippidihop]

An Adapter like this

https://www.amazon.com/3pin-power-4pin-molex-adapter/dp/B000H25PBK/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1KLG0CIODKZG3&keywords=female+fan+adapter+to+molex&qid=1650298803&sprefix=remale+fan+adapter+to+molex,aps,68&sr=8-3

can be used to convert the 4-pin Molex connector of ONE fan to a 3-pin female standard fan connector that can plug into a mobo fan header. Then the header MUST be set to use the older Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode) and NOT the new PWM Mode. That way it will send to its fan a varying VOLTAGE supply suitable to control its speed. Those fans do NOT have a third wire to send a speed signal back to the host header, so you will never "see" their speeds.

You can connect more than one fan to a header and control the group subject to a limit. The header normally can supply up to 1.0 A max current to all the fans connected to that one header. So you need to find the specs for those fans you have for their max current rating - MAYBE on a label on each fan. That will establish how many of these fans (2? 3?) you can connect to ONE header. If you have more SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN headers to use, same limit applies to each.

The usual device used to connect two or more fans to a single mobo header is a SPLITTER. But it happens the Molex connectors on your fan stack. So you can connect several fans together by stacking their Molex connectors and without buying any Splitter. Then use one of those adapters above to connect a small stack of Molex's to one header. When you do this, you do NOT make any connection of these to the Molex power output from your PSU that is in use now to power the fans.

Can I bypass the one header limitation by buying a fan hub that is connected both psu and the motherboard? And if I choose I way like that should I buy multiple molex to 3pin adapters to connect different headers of the hub or one is enough and I can connect molexs to each other than all of them to one header with one adapter?
I’m thinking of an hub like this

View: https://youtu.be/EttoFpulT4s

 

[geofelt]

What is the make/model of your motherboard?
What is the make/model of your case?
How do you want to control your fans?
If you want to simply adjust the case fan speeds, you can do that manually.
For case fans, I prefer to hear a constant drone or fan speed, regardless of the load on the system.
Normally, molex connected fans are voltage regulated and will run full out all the time.
To slow them down, you can use, or make a lower voltage connector like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/253017693716


If you want to adjust speeds based on some temperature, that is a different issue.

And, I might ask what is your objective here?

 

[Paperdoc]

If you really are dealing with a mobo that has only one SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN header, it is possible that you can use that for all four of your case ventilation fans . It depends entirely on what the max current spec is on each fan. If they are all LESS them 0.25 A per fan, it will work as I said with NO HUB or Splitter. Most fans are less than that, So, can you see a label on each fan that tells you max Amps OR max WATTS? If yes, tell us what that says. If there is no label like that, can you tell us the maker and model of the fans? Or, the maker and model of the CASE that these fan came with?

If no info is available the cautious solution is a Hub. BUT there really is only ONE Hub that can do this with those fans, so we'll deal with that detail AFTER you can tell us what info exists on those fans.

 

[hippidihop]

What is the make/model of your motherboard?
What is the make/model of your case?
How do you want to control your fans?
If you want to simply adjust the case fan speeds, you can do that manually.
For case fans, I prefer to hear a constant drone or fan speed, regardless of the load on the system.
Normally, molex connected fans are voltage regulated and will run full out all the time.
To slow them down, you can use, or make a lower voltage connector like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/253017693716


If you want to adjust speeds based on some temperature, that is a different issue.

And, I might ask what is your objective here?

My case is rampage extreme.
My mobo is msi b450m pro m2max
I want to control my case fans through bios or other software. I control my cpu fan with bios. It adjusts to temperature.

From what you said I understand that using 3pin adapter and connecting molex fan to motherboard is not a usable work around since molex fans are not meant to be controlled that way in the first place am i wrong? I really find them really loud so either I’m gonna buy new fans or cancel 2 of them so it will run silently.

 

[hippidihop]

If you really are dealing with a mobo that has only one SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN header, it is possible that you can use that for all four of your case ventilation fans . It depends entirely on what the max current spec is on each fan. If they are all LESS them 0.25 A per fan, it will work as I said with NO HUB or Splitter. Most fans are less than that, So, can you see a label on each fan that tells you max Amps OR max WATTS? If yes, tell us what that says. If there is no label like that, can you tell us the maker and model of the fans? Or, the maker and model of the CASE that these fan came with?

If no info is available the cautious solution is a Hub. BUT there really is only ONE Hub that can do this with those fans, so we'll deal with that detail AFTER you can tell us what info exists on those fans.

My case is Rampage extreme. I think they probably use similar fans on all models. I don’t know their specs couldn’t find much info. My main goal is to control their speed so they run silently but someone else said even if I connect them to motherboard molex fans can’t be adjusted with software. If that’s the I will probably buy new ones or cancel two of them.

 

[Paperdoc]

Rampage Extreme is a line of MOTHERBOARDS from ASUS. Any fans you have likely were supplied with the outer CASE, not the mobo. Is there an label indicting the CASE maker and model? IF you temporarily un-mount one fan, is there a label on the OTHER side you can see?

 

[hippidihop]

Rampage Extreme is a line of MOTHERBOARDS from ASUS. Any fans you have likely were supplied with the outer CASE, not the mobo. Is there an label indicting the CASE maker and model? IF you temporarily un-mount one fan, is there a label on the OTHER side you can see?

My mobo is msi b450m pro m2max. I know Asus rampage series my case is from a brand called Rampage which probably is a local brand in my country and there isn’t any specs about fans neither on the box of the case nor on the fans. I unmounted them.

 

[Paperdoc]

OK. So the safe route is to assume we must use a HUB to power those four fans with Molex connectors. You WILL need that 2-pack of adapters I linked to earlier. The key point with them is that the FAN connectors on them are FEMALE so they can plug into the normal male (with pins) outputs for fans. Ideally the Molex connectors on them should be FEMALE also to match what is normally on the power output cables from a PSU.

The particular Hub I recommend is the Phanteks Universal Fan controller, model PH-PWHUB-02.

https://phanteks.com/PH-PWHUB_02.html

It is unique because it can "translate" the PWM signal set it requires from a mobo SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN header into Voltage Control Mode signals suitable for 3-pin fans and the 2-pin type you have. It has three output ports for 3-pin fans, and four for 4-pin fans. You would use each of those adapters to plug into one of the 3-pin fan output ports and connect to one of your fan's Molex connectors. Then connect a second fan to the first using the stacking Molex design. Do the same for the second pair on a second Hub 3-pin port.

If you had common fans that include speed signal lines, it would be necessary to connect some fans to the Hub's Port #1, the only one that can return a fan speed signal back to the host header. But none of your fans send out a speed signal, so this is not necessary. IF your header generates alarm warnings that the case fans have failed (because they have no speed), go into BIOS Setup for that header and look for a way to ignore or disable the alarm.

The Hub comes with a manual control button box in case you cannot connect it to a mobo fan header. Do not use that. Use the cable supplied to connect it to a mobo SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN header, and configure that to use the new PWM Mode. IF you have a choice on that header of what temperature sensor to use, choose the motherboard sensor, not the CPU one. Using another cable supplied, connect its power source from a SATA power output from the PSU to the labelled socket on the Hub.

Doing it this way your mobo header CAN control the speed of those fans according to the mobo temperature sensor. The Hub uses the header's PWM signal to generate vary9ng VOLTAGES output on its 3-pin ports to control your fans' speeds.